hvd

We are going to have an eight hour layover at LHR, arriving 12 noon from JFK leaving at 9:40 for DXB. Would a lunch excursion to the Fat Duck in Bray Village make sense? How would one get there and back if it does make sense?

If this is not a good idea what would be a good one? If I were to rent a car for the afternoon is there a nice spot within the same range for lighter fare with a bit of local color?

We would like a change of pace from London generally.

Darren

As far as getting there is concerned, it's maybe about 30-45 minutes. Taxi would be the most convenient, but also the most expensive. I am sure there is train service reasonable close, though. Sorry not more help.

Bray is nice and is a true change from London (which I have a special distaste for). Have some friends who lived in Sonning for a long time until Reading swallowed it up. Now they live in Henley-o-T which is also a very nice town.

The Fat Duck is an experience you won't soon forget. I had the opportunity to go (fortunately I didnt have to pay or there is *no* way I would have gone because it ain't cheap) and it was so different than any culinary experience I have had. Imagine sea-urchin wrapped in rabbit, bacon and egg ice cream, and beef gelee topped with pea puree and crab cream. Each course is "presented" in all senses (a man with a french accent tells you what you are eating, which is more helpful that you might imagine)of the word and the food on the plate is a work of art in and of itself. The wine list is mammoth but the sommailier will guide you through it. Needless to say, they also have a pairing system so that the chef will choose out his perfect wine for each course.

Unless its changed (I think I was there in 2000 or 2001), the chef is a Swede, the owner is English, and the staff is mostly French.

I am not sure I would place this as local color, though, other than the fact that the area is very, very affluent. So maybe it is. It was slightly pretentious (a personal pet peeve) but not noticeably. It was more pretententious in the sense that it was over the top, but that is the fun of a place like that.

steadman

I have to agree with what Darren has said - it's a great place and you could do a lot worse with the layover. I only really wanted to add my slight disappointment to find that the subject line was not rhyming slang.

S.

Frequentflyer99

Have you thought about the Waterside Inn, also in Bray. I think that it currently has the best Michelin rating in the UK and it is very well deserved. It is actually very unpretentious and not that expensive (if you stick to a set lunch) considering its quality and rating. Its location on the edge of the river is unsurpassable.

I cant compare with the Fat Duck as, when I tried to book for the Fat Duck, they wanted CC details to guarantee a reservation. I told them where to put this preposterous demand which is pretty much unique in the UK.

Dave Noble

" they wanted CC details to guarantee a reservation. I told them where to put this preposterous demand which is pretty much unique in the UK."

What is preposterous about it? It's no different to using a card to guarantee hotel booking et al. It seems reasonable to me to be honest ; if someone books a table and then just doesn't turn up then it seems reasonable that the place be able to charge them.

Dave

Frequentflyer99

Whether reasonable or not, it is not the way that it is done and it leaves a bad impression or taste. Why should I book a restaurant that demands this when the superior restaurant round the corner does not ? The Fat Duck's attitude was unfriendly and very much take it or leave it, even before we got on to the subject of a CC. I took the demand for a CC to be yet further evidence of a general arrogance.

Dave Noble

"Whether reasonable or not, it is not the way that it is done and it leaves a bad impression or taste."

It is the way that it is done at a number of restaurants. If it is a busy restaurant, if they accept your booking and then turn down other bookings becuase the table is reserved to u, why should they lose out if you end up deciding not to turn up. It makes no difference whether you give a CC number or not unless you are in the "just not turn up and not cancel the reservation" brigade imo.


"The Fat Duck's attitude was unfriendly and very much take it or leave it, even before we got on to the subject of a CC. I took the demand for a CC to be yet further evidence of a general arrogance. "

That isnt a reason against guarantees in general though is it?, just a viewpoint on that particular restaurant.
Dave

[This message has been edited by Dave Noble (edited 10-26-2003).]

Darren

When I was in LA and still working (and therefore could afford something besides rice), my experience was that guaranteeing tables with a CC was becoming more common. There is only like 5 or 6 tables in the joint, iirc, and average plate was probably in the 100 pound range. Since the table turn is once a night (maybe occasionally twice), a loss of a table will hurt. Especially since weekend reservations are few and far between. If it's still in the demand that it was, you either had to be very lucky or know someone to score a weekend table within a few weeks of making the reservation.

FWIW, I have not been to the Waterside Inn, but I have been told by a few (including the ones I went to the FD with) that the Waterside is running on its reputation and not its quality right now.

hvd

Just a follow up to my query. We ended up renting a car and driving out to Bray on our layover. Unfortunately we arrived just after the last lunch serving at the Fat Duck but we were able to console ourselves over a perfectly lovely (and far less expensive) pub lunch at the hotel next door. My wife particularly enjoyed her curry. We then spent a wonderful couple of hours wandering around Bray which is quite picturesque. A very charming layover indeed. Next time we face a similar layover we intend to try to make it in time for the last serving. What was particularly nice was the ease in getting to and fro which was great if you are the type who worries about unknown contingencies (such as getting hopelessly lost).